Spatial Niche Segregation of Sympatric Stone Marten and Pine Marten – Avoidance of Competition or Selection of Optimal Habitat?

Abstract

Coexistence of ecologically similar species relies on differences in one or more dimensions of their ecological niches, such as space, time and resources in diel and/or seasonal scales. However, niche differentiation may result from other mechanisms such as avoidance of high predation pressure, different adaptations or requirements of ecologically similar species. Stone marten (Martes foina) and pine marten (Martes martes) occur sympatrically over a large area in Central Europe and utilize similar habitats and food, therefore it is expected that their coexistence requires differentiation in at least one of their niche dimensions or the mechanisms through which these dimensions are used. To test this hypothesis, we used differences in the species activity patterns and habitat selection, estimated with a resource selection function (RSF), to predict the relative probability of occurrence of the two species within a large forest complex in the northern geographic range of the stone marten. Stone martens were significantly heavier, have a longer body and a better body condition than pine martens. We found weak evidence for temporal niche segregation between the species. Stone and pine martens were both primarily nocturnal, but pine martens were active more frequently during the day and significantly reduced the duration of activity during autumn-winter. Stone and pine martens utilized different habitats and almost completely separated their habitat niches. Stone marten strongly preferred developed areas and avoided meadows and coniferous or deciduous forests. Pine marten preferred deciduous forest and small patches covered by trees, and avoided developed areas and meadows. We conclude that complete habitat segregation of the two marten species facilitates sympatric coexistence in this area. However, spatial niche segregation between these species was more likely due to differences in adaptation to cold climate, avoidance of high predator pressure and/or food preferences by both species than competitive interaction between them.

Spatio-temporal variation of predator diet in a rural habitat: stone martens in the villages of Białowieża forest

“…Stone marten scats were identified based on their size and shape. In contrast to other study sites, in Białowieża Forest, pine marten (Martes martes) completely avoids human settlements (Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015); therefore, there was no uncertainty of scat identification between these species. The samples were collected in four seasons: spring-April and May, summerJune and August, autumn-September to November and winter-December to March.…”

“…It inhabits the full range of residential areas, from small villages to towns and city centres (Herr 2008), but it can also be found in riparian areas, on the edges of forests, as well as in agriculture-forest mosaic areas (Sacchi and Meriggi 1995;Rondinini and Boitani 2002;Goszczyński et al 2007;Virgos et al 2010;Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015). Similar to other marten species (Thompson and Colgan 1987;Zalewski and Jędrzejewski 2006), stone marten dynamics most probably relate to food availability.…”

The NATURA 2000 database as a tool in the analysis of habitat selection at large scales: factors affecting the occurrence of pine and stone martens in Southern Europe

“…from museum records), telemetry (VHF and GPS), remote monitoring (camera traps) and the more recently developed noninvasive DNA sampling and molecular techniques (e.g. Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015;Vergara et al 2016;Balestrieri et al 2016;O'Mahony 2017). Telemetry or remote monitoring data are usually collected from relatively small areas (e.g.…”

“…Telemetry or remote monitoring data are usually collected from relatively small areas (e.g. Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015). In contrast, observational data covering larger areas are often collected nonsystematically and can be biased by various factors (e.g.…”

“…Despite many similarities, these species differ with respect to their environmental preferences (Virgos et al 2012) and in extreme cases they use completely separate habitats (Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015). Generally, the pine marten is considered a habitat specialist that primarily associates with forests and avoids the vicinity of humans (Clevenger 1994;Caryl et al 2012;Lombardini et al 2015;Wereszczuk and Zalewski 2015; but see Balestrieri et al 2010), whereas the stone marten is more closely associated with agricultural, industrial and urban areas, with its occurrence less affected by human presence (Virgós et al 2000;Rondinini and Boitani 2002). However, the stone marten has regional intraspecific differences in habitat choice, being less associated with human settlements in Southern than in Central Europe (Sacchi and Meriggi 1995).…”